Daming Yinghua

Chapter 405: Elegant Lodge in the Mountains

The well-known "Chengde Summer Resort" was built in the Qing Dynasty.

After Zheng Haizhu traveled through time, when he showed the map of the development and reform plan to the capital, he once wondered, if the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were afraid of heat, weren't the emperors of the Ming Dynasty afraid of heat?

Why didn’t the Ming Dynasty build a summer resort in Hebei? Could it be that going to Hebei to escape the summer heat just because the border troubles in Beizhen never go away might make Ming Yingzong's unlucky story happen again?

Zheng Haizhu's questions were quickly answered.

From Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty to Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, they all lived in seclusion and liked to live in the Forbidden City. The Ministry of Industry then built a cool house in the palace according to local conditions. Under the cool house, many deep wells were dug, and the wellheads were covered with round bricks with holes. In midsummer, the coolness of the well water flows into the house through the brick holes, like a natural "air-conditioning" supply.

In this way, the emperor of tomorrow can enjoy the cool air without leaving the palace.

But at the beginning of last year, the eunuch Wang Tiqian, who had risen to prominence, kept lobbying Zhu Changluo to go to the mountains in his hometown of Changping to escape the summer heat.

Changping is not far from the capital. The size of the ceremonial guard and the security pressure of the holy driver are much smaller, and there is no need to have to go to the government to pick him up along the way.

Wang Tiqian's second priority was to return to his hometown to get good results. The key was to be like the project managers of later generations. He could make a big profit by launching a big project.

It just so happened that Zheng Haizhu led a team to clear fields in Shandong, and the Liao Rating Section of the Ministry of Revenue had a harvest. Zhu Changluo felt that it would not count if he diverted 20% of the money spent on repairing the three main halls to build individual businesses in the suburbs of Beijing. Your virtue was lacking, so you allowed Wang Tiqian to handle the matter.

Wang Tigan had a lot of money to be greedy and was very efficient. He quickly built a small area of ​​buildings and houses suitable for living near mountains and rivers. At the beginning of autumn last year, he took advantage of Zhu Changluo's opportunity to visit the Dingling Tomb of Emperor Wanli and asked the emperor to drive him. The summer resort was accepted.

Zhu Changluo was very satisfied. Wang Tigan had made his first profit, and he also mentioned the matter of summer vacation early this year so that he could continue to make money from it.

But Wang Tiqian didn't expect that the mantis stalking the cicada, the oriole behind, the profitable project he planned happily would be targeted by Zheng Haizhu and become a starting point to bring him down.

At this moment, Zheng Haizhu pretended to be confused. She knew clearly through Tian Ergeng's palace informant that Zhu Changluo had indulged in excessive sexual activities recently, and deliberately changed the explanation of the reason for Sheng Gong's illness, which aroused Concubine Li's heart.

Yes, when going to Changping to escape the summer heat, only she, Concubine Li, is qualified to go with her. The foxy ladies in the inner court will not be able to behave like monsters.

"Well, A-Zhu," Concubine Li was in a good mood, and even addressed her in a friendly manner, "Are your letters from the outer court accurate? The recent people who have made money by repairing customs and opening up the sea have not bothered Long Live Lord up and down the court?"

"Don't worry, Madam, everything is safe. I won't be in the mood to go to the outskirts of Beijing. But..."

"But what?" Concubine Li looked at Zheng Haizhu's face and put on the alert look she always showed others.

Zheng Haizhu looked back at the yard. Several familiar young eunuchs were standing far away, chipping away at the ice.

In the room, there were only the maids closest to Concubine Li.

Zheng Haizhu said: "I also suddenly thought that Wang Tiqian has always been organizing things in Changping. The young lady who came to my shop last time to buy pearls and jade jewelry didn't know it clearly. The lady also said that Wang Tiqian has entered summer. He is even more diligent than Wang An when he goes to Qianqing Palace. Will he, at his summer retreat, present a beauty to Lord Long Live, um, to Lord Long Live? "

"Click", Concubine Li stirred the silver spoon of the bird's nest soup and hit it on the edge of the bowl.

Concubine Li is not a lady from a wealthy family and has limited education, but she has heard a lot of folk tales and dramas. The story of the close ministers of Dog and Mao taking advantage of the emperor's tour and using women to attract favors is the story that Concubine Li is most familiar with. .

"It makes sense. Cao Huachun, the prince's eldest companion, has nothing to do with Wang Tigan, and King Xin hates Wang Tigan even more. This eunuch is not focused on currying favor with the Long Live Lord. Hurry up and sit on the palm of the superior's ceremonial supervisor. I'm afraid he will have to go to the pigeon room to clean up someday. Pigeon droppings go.”

Zheng Haizhu thought to herself that the imperial concubine's mind only became more in line with the logic of political struggle when she suspected that someone was poaching her husband.

"Then, the empress will nip it in the bud, and go and clean the hole in Li Ting for Lord Long Live first." Zheng Haizhu gave the plan in a calm tone, "Well, let's just say that she is going to supervise Uncle Chang Ping, the father-in-law of the first governor. Jirang, and then go to the summer resort to wait for Long Live.”

"Smooth, smooth. That's it. You should also follow. If that Song Carpenter does a good job, you can help me reward him." Concubine Li agreed.

……

"Mommy, it should be here."

Dongchang Fanzi shouted to stop the carriage, turned around and said to the guest Yinyue.

Ke Yinyue walked down and looked up at the cottage dozens of steps away.

The green brick house is hidden among the lush green trees in summer.

"Is this a decent house?" Ke Yinyue looked at the other thatched houses scattered at the foot and mountainside of the nearby mountains and asked suspiciously.

Fanzi seemed to be less confident after what she said. He jumped out of the carriage, walked around to the opposite side of the official road, and came back and said, "That's right, grandma, please look, there's a stone bridge over the river over there, and it's surrounded by people." Yes, it's Long Live Master's Summer Resort, right? Master Tian told me it's too small." Ke Yinyue also looked at the Summer Resort.

The night before Wei Zhongxian went to Luoyang, he suddenly said that he wanted to buy a small house in Changping.

Ke Yinyue was shocked when she heard this, thinking that Wei Zhongxian's last sentence was to expose Wang Ti's affair with her. Unexpectedly, Wei Zhongxian said seriously: "You always keep talking in my ears about going back to the Zhu family. I am confused." I want you to talk about it. Do you think this method will work? I'll buy a courtyard for you to live in near the summer resort. When the prince and Long Live Master go to escape the summer, please make some snacks that the prince used to love. Send it in. A Zhuangzi is much easier to enter than the Forbidden City, right?"

Ke Yinyue breathed a sigh of relief, but asked again: "Don't the Zhu family think that we are waiting for the rabbit to trick them?"

"How could that happen?" Wei Zhongxian said calmly, "I am still on the job of the Xinxi Department. Autumn is coming again in the blink of an eye. I have to run between the capital and Xuanfu. I have a house outside Changping City to rest. What's the matter? It's strange. It's only a hundred taels of silver in a country yard, and the officials can't figure it out. It costs three to five hundred taels to buy a broken painting."

Later, Wei Zhongxian told guest Yinyue not to press the matter until his brother-in-law found a good house.

Ke Yinyue thought to herself that she could not tell Wang Tiqian about this. He had placed bets on both men, so he had a good chance of winning. Neither of them could give up.

Wei Zhongxian had been gone for almost a month before Tian Ergeng from Dongchang sent someone to tell guest Yinyue that the Yaren had agreed on the house and Lao Tian had signed the deed.

Ke Yinyue wanted to go see her immediately, but Tian Ergeng's people were not too polite, saying that Dongchang was very busy, and she would wait for Tian Shuai's arrangements. Mammy, please don't spread the word everywhere, Tian Shuai didn't want everyone outside to think that , Tian Qianhu from the dignified Dongchang, will run errands for you as a woman.

After all, Tian Ergen had a grandfather who was a minister of the Ministry of War. Ke Yinyue, a nanny who climbed into the palace as a grassroots person, was still intimidated when she met a child from a family of serious courtiers, so she had to wait patiently.

Finally, at the end of the day, a kind-hearted man came from Dongchang and drove her out of Beijing. She first stayed at an inn in Changping Fucheng for a night. Taking advantage of the coolness this morning, he sent her over to see the house.

At this moment, Dongchang fanzi put the wheels on the carriage and said to the guest Yinyue: "Mommy, let's go in and take a look? Master Tian said that he hired a local from Changping to sweep the house and look after the house. If grandma feels it is inappropriate, , can be replaced.”

"Okay, thank you."

The two came to the fence. Fanzi shouted and reported the source. Soon a woman came to answer the door.

"Salute to Grandma Wei, grandma is in good health. The younger one's surname is Lin."

Ke Yinyue looked at the mother-in-law, she was in her fifties, her facial features were ordinary, her complexion was rough and dark, she was like an old woman in the country, her speech was quite eloquent.

"Aren't you from Changping?" Ke Yinyue stared at her and asked.

"As for grandma, the younger one escaped from the famine in Ji Town. Before that, she worked as a cook in a hotel in Fucheng. A noble man took a fancy to her and hired her to work for grandma."

"Oh." Ke Yinyue responded and walked into the yard.

She stopped in front of a row of pottery jars: "What is this?"

"I told my grandma, the sauce maker, the bean paste from Changping, is the first one in Beizhili. I was grateful to my grandparents for taking them in, so I made a few cans and stored them in the cellar. The weather won't be bad. I took them out, fried them, and mixed them. Cold noodles, oh my, that tastes so good..."

The mother-in-law is a cook after all. When it comes to food, she immediately loses her restraint and the wrinkles on her face spread out like chrysanthemums.

Ke Yinyue had been driving for a long time, and now she really felt panicked.

She walked straight into the main room, sat down, and said to her mother-in-law: "Make two bowls of noodles with soybean paste, and this military master and I will eat them."

"Go right now, go right now!" the mother-in-law responded and stepped back, walking towards the kitchen.

Ke Yinyue looked around, but he didn't expect that the house was in decent repair. The green bricks on the floor were obviously new.

The wood of the tables, chairs and furniture is not shabby, and there are even beautiful white porcelains on the shelves.

"You just hired a woman to guard the door, and you're not afraid that these things will be snatched and stolen?" Ke Yinyue said to Dongchang Fanzi.

Fanzi also seemed a little surprised by the grandeur of this house, but quickly responded with a smile: "I think Yaren knew that a nobleman from the capital bought it, and he has explained it to the people on the road. Green-skinned gangsters, if you want to rob, you can rob Luo." I'm a single businessman. Besides, Long Live Master's summer resort is on the other side of the river. Changping Mansion must have eliminated this generation early. Grandma, why don't you take a look at the house first? I'll drive my horse to the nearby village and ask the fellow villagers. I was in a hurry to buy some bean cakes and food. I left the food bag at the inn. "